Toyota C-HR spied testing in India for the first time

The Toyota C-HR is undergoing road testing on Bangalore roads, confirm spy shots published by Autocar India. It marks the first time the small SUV was spotted in India.

The Toyota C-HR (Coupe High Rider) chronicled Toyota’s entry into the B-SUV segment when it debuted at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. It was the first SUV based on the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) scalable platform that debuted in the Toyota Prius in 2015. The radically shaped sub-compact SUV competes with the Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona, Kia Stonic and Ford EcoSport internationally.

The Toyota C-HR test mule doing the rounds in India wears no camouflage and doesn’t bother to hide its badges. These are tell-tales that the model is not under evaluation for the local market and is probably here for component testing or another global testing program. The green and blue stickers on the back glass indicate that it has arrived from the Iwate Plant in Japan.

The ‘Hybrid Synergy Drive’ badge on the test mule’s tailgate confirms that it employs the 125 PS THS II powertrain that combines the 98 PS 2ZR-FXE 1.8-litre petrol engine with the 72 PS 1NM electric motor. The Hybrid variant, available exclusively in the FWD drivetrain layout, delivers a fuel economy (JC08 mode) of 30.2 km/l. The all-new Toyota Corolla Sport (Toyota Corolla Hatchback/Toyota Auris) runs on the same hybrid powertrain, and maybe the new Corolla sedan would too.

Also Read: Two month waiting period for Toyota Yaris

If TKM is the company testing the C-HR, it’s probably the SUV’s frugal hybrid powertrain that is under evaluation. The next-gen Toyota Corolla Altis due in 2019 won’t feature a diesel engine. So, a possibility is that Toyota is looking at the hybrid option to fill that space out.

As for the Toyota C-HR itself, the underlying TNGA makes the SUV an expensive model for a price-sensitive market like ours. Autocar India reported in February 2017 that it would arrive sometime this year, but now it says that the launch will take place only in 2021 after the TNGA-based next-gen Toyota Corolla Altis goes on sale. This could mean that the current generation C-HR may not be en route to India.

[Source: Autocar India]